Tobacco Stores Closed for January

12/28/2020

The Kahnawà:ke COVID-19 Task Force wishes to inform the general public that ALL Tobacco Stores will be CLOSED beginning on Friday, January 1st to reduce the number of persons entering Kahnawà:ke, due to the extremely high risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus at this time.

There will be no exceptions to this directive. The Kahnawake Peacekeepers will be monitoring the situation and will issue fines to those in contravention. Please note the following:

According to Section 31 of the Kahnawà:ke Emergency Preparedness Law, “Every person who contravenes any provision of this Kahnawà:ke Communal Law, or incites a person to do so, is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of not more than $1,000 in the case of a natural person, or to a fine of not more than $10,000 in the case of a corporation or partnership.”

“We want to make it clear that we will do everything we can to reduce our risk,” said Commissioner of Public Safety Lloyd Phillips. “The directive will be posted in French and English on the electronic billboards located on Highways 30, 132, and 138.”

“This is only one of many initiatives to help prevent the spread of the virus,” he added, “but one that affects a significant number of persons from our neighboring communities who purchase tobacco on a regular basis. We appreciate everyone’s understanding during this challenging time.”

All gas stations, grocery, and convenience stores are permitted to sell tobacco products to LOCAL RESIDENTS ONLY! The sale of these products to non-locals is strictly prohibited under penalty of a fine.

Non-locals who are found to be in the Territory and attempting to purchase tobacco products will be issued fines.

These measures aim to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in Kahnawà:ke and help protect our most vulnerable residents.